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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · toast · trunk · rush · race · chair · tube · branch

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. toast — bread
  6. race — humankind
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — the underground
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — a container
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — a division
  19. chair — a leader
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com